Frank E. Beach Memorial Fountain, Abstract stainless steel fountain in International Rose Test Garden, United States
The Frank E. Beach Memorial Fountain, officially titled Water Sculpture, is a stainless steel work by Lee Kelly with architect James Howell, dedicated in 1975. It measures 12 by 15 by 12 feet and consists of three vertical posts carrying two horizontal posts, plus two smaller free-standing vertical posts, set in a sunken area on the west side of the International Rose Test Garden's upper level.
Frank L. Beach proposed the memorial in 1973, and Lee Kelly's design was chosen in May 1974 from six proposals; the cornerstone was laid on 14 June 1974 during the Rose Festival. The stainless steel work, built with architect James Howell, was dedicated on 14 June 1975 by parks commissioner Mildred Schwab and Beach, as a gift from Frank L. Beach and the estate of Ruth B. Mehlin.
Frank E. Beach, who christened Portland the "City of Roses" and first proposed the annual Rose Festival, is honored by this memorial; the fountain was a gift from his children, Frank L. Beach and the estate of Ruth B. Mehlin. A plaque beside the sculpture carries its official title, Water Sculpture, and Kelly's description of it as "a symbol of human involvement with the annual renewal of nature."
The fountain sits in a sunken area on the west side of the International Rose Test Garden's upper level in Washington Park. Stairs around the installation were replaced with sloped paths in the 2010s, making the site wheelchair accessible. Three stainless steel benches stand nearby.
The fountain was not wheelchair accessible until the 2010s, when the stairs around the installation were replaced with sloped paths. The Oregonian reported in 1975 that Kelly and the garden's curator considered adding waterlilies to the pool and subdued lighting on the columns.
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